Monday, August 20, 2007

Sophia Rant: Part I

Sophia rantThe "feminine" side of God is problematic for me.1. Because God the Father is still all-powerful and all-encompassing while Sophia is limited by "feminine" attributes.2. Because referencing a specific female image as "feminine" is essentialist. (Bio-determinism)3. Because it ignores the wholeness found in both real women and in a broad range of extra-canonical mythological references to gynocentric Deity.Christian Sophia apologists seek to teach women about female divinity by telling them that Sophia is God as a woman but such teachings remain trapped in dualism...male/female, postive/negative, ego/anima(us), etc. dark/light, spirit/body, intellect/emotion. The specific sex that belongs to our body and even the gender into which our cultural experiences press us does not complete our stories as human beings.In a society that considers men not just normative, but the model of divinity, women are deriviative and limited in their ability to move toward the fullest expression of human interaction with divine energy through self-development. Giving us Sophia as a model of the feminine divine only tells a part of the story of our human potential...Worse, it doesn't even allow US to decide which "feminine" story is told. Sophia is the image of the feminine divine through masculine eyes, an idealization of Wisdom from a series of cultures that have largely denied real flesh and blood women's access to education and authority. Give me a Goddess that helps me reclaim the ENTIRETY of my divinity...creation and destruction, blood, sex, lust, wisdom, moderation, serenity and frenzy. I want the whole ball of wax: not just the stuff God the Father rejects.

About Me

A spiritual eco-feminist with an intellectual tendency toward non-theism. I'm also stay-at-home parent and a green homemaker with a Ph.D. in women's studies in religion. I teach history courses at a community college and give historical presentations in nineteenth-century costume. Very much like Superman, no one can identify me when I remove my glasses. Finally, I'm a nerd, the kind of nerd who actually used a Star Trek book to keep her place in her Harry Potter book.